Unhelpfully for the traveller, virtually all buses arrive and depart Quetzaltenango from nowhere near the centre of town. If you arrive by second-class bus you'll almost certainly end up in the chaotic Minerva Bus Terminal on the city's northwestern edge. Walk through the covered market place to 4 C and catch a local bus marked "Parque" to get to the plaza from there. An extremely useful transport hub is a roundabout called the rotunda at the far end of Calzada Independencia, east of the city centre, where virtually all long-distance buses stop on their way to and from the city. Three main companies operate first-class buses to and from the capital, each with their own private terminal: the Líneas Américas terminal is just off Calzada Independencia at 7 Av 3-33, Zona 2, (tel 761 2063), Alamo is at 4C 14-04, Zona 3 (tel 767 7117), and Galgos is at C Rodolfo Robles 17-43, Zona 1 (tel 761 2248). There are also daily flights to and from the capital with Inter airlines (30min; US$55 one way); the airstrip is 5km east of the town centre.

The helpful tourist office , on the main plaza (Mon-Fri 8am-1pm & 2-5pm, Sat 8am-noon; tel 761 4931), has maps and local information. Xela is an excellent place to study Spanish , with dozens of schools, many of a high standard.

Quetzaltenango is laid out on a standard grid pattern, somewhat complicated by a number of steep hills. The oldest part of the city, focused around the plaza, is made up of narrow streets, while in the newer part, reaching out towards the Minerva terminal, the blocks are larger. The city is also divided up into zones , although for the most part you'll only be interested in zonas 1 and 3, which contain the plaza area and the Minerva Bus Terminal respectively. When it comes to getting around , most places are within easy walking distance (except the terminal). To get to the Minerva terminal you can take any bus that runs along 13 Av between 8 C and 4 C in Zona 1. To head for the eastern half of town, along 7 Av, catch one of the buses that stops in front of the Casa de la Cultura, at the bottom end of the plaza.